sti_business and politics in colonial india

8/3/2019 STI_Business and Politics in Colonial India

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Business and Politicsin

Colonial India

- Group 3


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Colonial India- Business andPolitics In early 1900s INC was more like a political

pressure group than a symbol of burgeoningnationalism.

Indian Industrial Conference estb. In 1905acted in tandem with INC to promote Indian

industry

Conference provided money and in return INCpromoted industrial interest


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Gandhijis heroic success and the method

adopted against racial discrimination in SouthAfrica attracted Indian politicians and

industrialists as well.

Emphasis on gram Swarajya, advocacy of

cottage/small-scale industry, abrogation ofwealth appreciated but not executed soondue to absence of coercion.

Physical proximity to Jain and Vaishnava

banias apart from adoption of their ethos wontheir reverence for him.


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Government was keen to retain the goodwill ofindian big business, interest group representationin legislature was to prevent unison against thegovernment.

Refusal of govt. to lower the import duty onManchester goods in 1920 despite pressures.

Govt. did support European interests to create anunbiased image of itself.

In a quest to maintain equidistance from

government and congress , even Birla adopted adual role of supporting English in front of bapu andbapu before English.

An unofficial mediator between congress leadersand ruling authorities, enjoyed leverage.


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Four-pronged Industry strategy:

Keep a distance from confrontational-agitational aspects of freedomstruggle.

Fund indirect programmes of thecongress

Influence policy formulation by thecongress to fine-tune with the thought

process with that of their own. Garner support for industry demands

by acting in unison with nationalist-

minded legislature members.


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Growing Congruence of Purpose

Impact of the Non-Cooperation movement of 1921Indifference posture of majority of industrialists

Stance of Purushotam das support of cotton tradersto the agitation

Industrialists contested elections as independentsrather than on behalf of Swaraj party

Collaboration between industrialists and Swarajistswithin the assembly on issues like

Purchase of requirement of armed forces

Safeguards to protect indigenous match industry

Countervailing excise duty on Indian textile production

Bold speeches by Kasturibhai and others to repeal the measures supported by nationalists


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Contd..

Protection for Indian industry another key issuewhich united the industrialists and nationalists

Strong sentiments of Indian members of assemblyreflected in the fight for raising the duties onimported piece-goods

Competition from Japan on imports of mediumvarietiesGovernments rejection of therecommendations aroused the ire of all the electedmembers of the assembly

Forceful speeches and walkout from the assembly Opposition on the high value of rupee both

industrialists and political factions had commoncause against the government on matters affectingIndian economy


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The schism between Indian business andBritish expatriates widened further as a resultof frequent clashes in legislature

Industrialists had an open line ofcommunication with Gandhi about hisactivities through regular meetings andexchange of letters

Financial support offered by Industrialists tothe activities of Gandhi

Formation of All India Trade UnionCongress(AITUC)

The 1920s on a whole witnessed a growingcongruence between Congress and IndianCapital class


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Responding to civildisobedience After civil disobedience movement, industrialist felt that , open

confrontation between Govt and congress , will hurt theireconomic prospects .

Birla wrote to Gandhiji To meet british government andpleaded him not to miss the oppurtunity. Whereas Gandhiji

refused to go to london and marched towards Dandi.

For Dandi movement , little concrete support came from theindustrialists.

Purshotamdas Thakurdas remained skeptical of Gandhimethods.

Industrialists felt that self government as the only solution toIndias economic ills.

During quieter times ,they could shout support for thecongress position without burning bridges with the authority.


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Civil Disobedience

Birla acting as mediator between Britishand Gandhi

Business pressure played crucial role inbringing about Gandhi-Irwin pact

Fixing the rupee-sterling ratio and tiedown of Indian currency with pounddeterred industrialists ambitions

Nehrus socialist propaganda worriedcapitalists, who however were soothedby Gandhis stand for industrialprosperity


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Second World War

Dual policy of Indian industrialists Support war efforts along with

expressing sympathy for national

movement Anxiety to draw closer to the congress

Formation of National PlanningCommission(NPC) ,member refusedto pay a small sum

Bombay Plan, a road plan for thedevelopment post world war


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Attitude towards Partition

G. D. Birlas letters to Gandhi in supportof Pakistan

An alternative to Pakistan ArdeshirDalal

Loose federation with a weak centralauthority as an alternative to Pakistan.

Lala Lajpat Rai and V. D. Sawarkar alsosupported the two nation theory.

Majority of businessmen were againstpartition because of emotional reasonsbut never came out to oppose becausethey never believed partition would

actually happen.


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Thank You

sti_business and politics in colonial india

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